When Was Jerusalem Destroyed By The Babylonians?

by Smart 72 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Smart

  SMART they will come back with "the light gets brigher" and they will ask you if you believe this is Jehovah's organization and the governing body are Jehovah's sole channel of communication. Once you answer in the negative to either of these questions the next thing they will say is, we will establish a judicial committee based on charges of apostasy.

  That is ridiculous. It reminds me of this...

  "All the same, many even of the rulers actually put faith in him, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess [him], in order not to be expelled from the synagogue." (John 12:42)

  I think it seems as though people are afraid of humiliation because they prefer the glory of men rather than the glory of God and the truth and the facts.
• 

  Londo111

  Thanks, wolfman85!

  For all the videos in one place: www.jwlove.org/607bc

  As far as the "signs of the times" to prove 1914: www.jwlove.org/1914ad
• 

  sloppyjoe2

  SMART I think its more of as JWs if you are one and for those of us that were, we felt special. We felt like we knew something that no one else did. We had a hope that no one else had. We could put up with all of our misery because VERY SOON it was all going to be gone. It can be very devastating to learn that none of what you hold true and so close is right. Some have devoted all of their time and energy to the religion and then lose it, losing a purpose in life they felt. That is why people fight it so much. That is why people don't want to hear what they believe might be wrong. It's much easier to cast doubt about the one dissenter than to face the facts. Read the book animal farm. It is a short read but it sums up how the watchtower works from its beginning until today.
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  AnnOMaly

  ^ Yeah Londo's videos are well worth the time too :-)

  Lots of resources out there.

  Does anyone know off hand any credible quote from a professor or someone which I can show to the elders?

  It won't matter. 'The professors are wrong, see. They go by profane, secular chronology while we JWs go by God's Word the Bible and its chronology.' That misunderstanding can be squashed but this'll be the come-back.

  Anyway, the burden of proof is on the elder - if you really want to go down that road with him (it'll be long haul if he's honestly willing for a two-way discussion to happen). Ask him why JWs are alone in the 607 date when ALL respected authorities say 587/6 BCE for Jerusalem's destruction. Get him to do the research. Get him doing the work and provide you with sound evidence for the 607 date.
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  Smart

  How can they possibly argue that these professors are wrong. They don't have any evidence to prove that, do they?
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  Apognophos

  I believe that at one time (up to the early 20th century?), 607 was the date used by many historians. So back in the 1800s when they first started counting from 607 BCE to 1914 CE, the Society was in a much better position than they are now. They've refused to recognize the current evidence pointing to 587/6 because of the importance of 1914. That being said, there are arguments that they advance for keeping the 607 date, and then there are counter-arguments to those arguments, etc.

  Personally I never had the patience to spend hours learning the details of this subject. Just seeing the unloving nature of the org. and learning about the flip-flop on organ transplants made it clear to me that this could not be God's organization, even if they did coincidentally predict something would happen in 1914 (emphasis on the "something", since the wrong thing happened at the wrong time of year).
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  Londo111

  Thank you, Ann! That is a high endorsement coming from you.

  I learned a whole bunch from y'all three years ago (about this time October/November 2011). It helped me see TTATT.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/215282/1/WT-Nov-1-2011-public-When-Was-Ancient-Jerusalem-Destroyed-Part-2
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  sir82

  They don't have any evidence to prove that, do they?

  Of course not.

  But that doesn't matter, see, becasue they use "Bible chronology" and they are anointed and God sends his holy spirit to them. So they must be right, and all those historians & archaeologists must be wrong.

  Every once in decade or 2, they publish an attempt to defend their 607 BCE beliefs.

  If you were to be so foolish as to bring this up to the elders, they'd probably eventually show you the latest attempt, a couple of Watchtower articles from a year or 2 ago. A couple hours on google would debunk the points in those articles (there's also a lot written about those articles on this website - use the search feature), but no "good" JW would ever do that, because "what are you trying to do, prove the faithful & discreet slave is wrong? Why would you do that?"
• 

  wannabefree

  Problem is, the organization knows their understanding doesn't find support outside of their circle, so they came out with the articles a couple of years ago clarifying their stance. After the articles came out, an elder sent me one as I had brought up the subject in the past. Society says this is what it is, case closed, independent thinking not allowed.
• 

  Vanderhoven7

  Was Jerusalem destroyed in 607 BCE or 587 BCE?

  http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/607-1914.php

  "There are only 5 Babylonian kings to deal with. It isn't hard. You don't need to bother with VAT 4956, Josephus, Ptolemy, Anstey, Bullinger, etc. etc. Just go by the actual kings, whose names and regnal lengths are known from tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets from many different towns and villages all over southern Mesopotamia. It is so simple a child could do it. Starting with Nabonidus, the last Babylonian king, and working backward. Babylon falls to Cyrus the Persia -- 539 BCE (Date accepted by WT CD ROM 2001)
  Nabonidus -- 17 years (WT agrees) For long periods he entrusted rule to his son, Prince Belshazzar
  Labashi-Marduk -- 3 months (WT says less than 9 months)
  Neriglissar -- 4 years (WT in agreement)
  Evil-Merodach -- 2 years (WT in agreement
  Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years (In the 19th year of his reign he destroyed Jerusalem)

  WT 1965 1/1 p. 29 The Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short-lived Evil-merodach reigned two years and was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who reigned for four years, which time he spent mainly in building operations. His underage sonLabashi-Marduk, a vicious boy, succeeded him, and was assassinated within nine months. Nabonidus, who had served as governor of Babylon and who had been Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite son-in-law, took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign until Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E.

  Nabonidus -- 17 years

  17 = 539 BCE
  16 = 540
  15 = 541
  14 = 542
  13 = 543
  12 = 544
  11 = 545
  10 = 546
  9 = 547
  8 = 548
  7 = 549
  6 = 550
  5 = 551
  4 = 552
  3 = 553
  2 = 554
  1 = 555
  0 = accession year = 556

  Labashi-Marduk -- less than a year 3 months in 556

  Neriglissar -- 4 years

  4 = 556
  3 = 557
  2 = 558
  1 = 559
  0 = accession year = 560

  Evil-Merodach -- 2 years

  2 = 560
  1 = 561
  0 = accession year = 562

  Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years

  43 = 562 BCE
  42 = 563
  41 = 564
  40 = 565
  39 = 566
  38 = 567
  37 = 568
  36 = 569
  35 = 570
  34 = 571
  33 = 572
  32 = 573
  31 = 574
  30 = 575
  29 = 576
  28 = 577
  27 = 578
  26 = 579
  25 = 580
  24 = 581
  23 = 582
  22 = 583
  21 = 584
  20 = 585

  19 = 586 BCE
  18 = 587 BCE
  
  And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire. 2Ki 25:8 ,9

  So Jerusalem was destroyed in 586/587 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar.